MARKETING LIVERPOOL’S SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY
Marketing Liverpool has been working hard to improve our GDS (Global Destination Sustainability) Index ranking since 2020. As part of this work, we continue to organise a series of ‘Green Tourism’ sustainability webinars for both ourselves and our partners across Liverpool City Region’s visitor economy.
We are also in the process of evaluating a partner survey, to better gauge the sustainability levels of our partners and help them to become accredited and reach their sustainability goals. Closely in line with this work, Marketing Liverpool, as a separate entity, is working towards becoming Green Tourism accredited ourselves, giving us a good sustainability foundation from which to build upon.
During the past year, together with partners, we have also established a Sustainability Taskforce for Liverpool’s Visitor Economy. The taskforce will soon meet monthly for 6 months, with the aim of finalising a clear action plan and strategy for the Visitor Economy in relation to sustainability.
WORKING IN TANDEM WITH LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL
Marketing Liverpool is part of Liverpool City Council. In 2019 Liverpool City Council declared that planet Earth is facing a climate change emergency.
All political parties within the city agreed to work together to rise to the challenge of an impending ecological disaster by making Liverpool a Net Zero Carbon city by 2030.
LIVERPOOL’S NET ZERO CARBON GOAL
A 2030 Net Zero Liverpool Action Plan sets out the actions that Liverpool can take to become a net zero city in 2030. It is a hugely challenging target, but one that can bring many benefits.
A 2030 Net Zero Liverpool is a thriving, fair and sustainable city. Climate action will have stimulated the local green economy and placed Liverpool at the forefront of new industries which will form the backbone of our future economy.
The city will have also stopped all contributions to climate change and have demonstrated leadership to other cities in the UK and globally. The city will also be more resilient to the climate changes we are already experiencing. See the full the plan and it’s appendices below.
- A 2030 Net Zero Liverpool Action Plan (pdf : 3.7 MB)
- Buildings and Heat Technical Appendix (pdf : 708 KB)
- City Resilience Technical Appendix (pdf : 394 KB)
- Green Infrastructure and Carbon Sequestration Technical Appendix (pdf : 398 KB)
- Power Supply Technical Appendix (pdf : 856 KB)
- Transport Technical Appendix (pdf : 3.8 MB)
- Waste Technical Appendix (pdf : 552 KB)
PROGRESS SO FAR:
CITYWIDE IMPACTS
It is estimated Liverpool has already cut 840,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere since 2005 and has planted more half a million trees in the past 25 years.
Liverpool City Council (LCC) is delivering the Sustainable Warmth Fund grant. The grant is available to help 700 households across Liverpool. It can be used to install a number of insulation and energy measures to residential homes. Some of these measures may include cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, under floor insulation, air source heat pumps, solar panels and replacement windows and doors.
COUNCIL IMPACTS
LCC has secured a fixed rate green energy tariff from 2023 and is buying the renewables guarantees of origin to offset electricity impacts. It has also submitted a £9M bid to decarbonise four leisure centres using heat exchange technology and PV solar.
Decarbonisation surveys are underway for libraries, St George’s Hall, the Town Hall and Milstead SEN School to design and seek funding on site energy reduction and heating system replacement with a zero carbon option.
LCC has appointed a new sustainability team and work is underway in developing a Net Zero Carbon Plan to achieve complete decarbonisation of all LCC’s direct and indirect emissions from building occupation, service delivery and transport across LCC, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and Liverpool’s schools.
The Net Zero Plan sets out a strategy to achieve Net Zero by 2030 by reducing energy consumption by up to 60%, replace gas heating and hot water with low carbon and renewable technologies, and offset any remaining usage with verifiable reductions caused by LCC’s policies, controls and delivery such as staff commuting controls and incentives, large scale tree planting.
TRANSPORT INITIATIVES
LCC has recently installed a further 6km of segregated cycle lane, and a fleet of electric and hydrogen powered buses and as your local authority, with responsibility for Public Health, we are also developing complementary clean air and active travel strategies.
CITY, SUSTAINABILITY AND ECOLOGY
As a lead partner in the URBAN GreenUP project we are also investing £4m into a range of new green infrastructure to tackle climate change impacts including a new phase of tree planting in the city centre.
For more information about Marketing Liverpool’s determined but ongoing sustainability journey please contact our lead on this critical initiative:
Jennifer Jensen
Head of Business Tourism
Marketing Liverpool | Liverpool Convention Bureau
Email: jjensen@marketingliverpool.co.uk